Lauderhill Oks Agreement To End Lawsuit

February 7, 1989|By CHUCK CLARK, Staff Writer

LAUDERHILL -- An agreement approved on Monday night by the City Council is expected to settle a $30 million discrimination lawsuit against the city and clear the way for the development of prime real estate at Inverrary.

By a 4-1 vote, the council approved a settlement to allow Baytree of Inverrary Realty Partners Inc. to construct commercial buildings on the 20- acre site at the northwest corner of West Oakland Park Boulevard and Inverrary Boulevard.

In exchange, Baytree has agreed to drop its claims against the city in two lawsuits filed in federal and state courts.

``No one was happy with this settlement,`` Mayor Ilene Lieberman said. ``No one gets 100 percent of what they want with this, but it is the best we can do and settle this case.``

Baytree sued the city in Broward Circuit Court in 1986 after the city rejected the developer`s request to rezone the land from general business to residential. Baytree had received a $24 million tax-exempt bond from the Broward Housing Authority in 1985 to provide 327 apartments for low- and moderate-income residents.

The following year, Baytree filed the federal suit, charging that the city used its zoning powers to quiet Inverrary residents` fears that there would be an influx of black residents into the neighborhood as a result of the planned development.

The settlement would allow Baytree to develop 18 acres as general commercial property, with two acres on the west side of the tract reserved for office buildings. The land now is vacant.

The agreement includes extensive landscaping and pollution-control requirements.

No residential development would be allowed unless the council later would agree to a nursing home or convalescent center. Also excluded from the area would be nightclubs, taverns, vehicle storage or repair shops, service stations, car washes or bingo halls.

Four attorneys representing the city recommended that the council accept the agreement. Lieberman said the city already has run up ``substantial`` legal bills, although no amount was available.

Council member Jack Brown objected to the pact, saying the general business classification the city agreed to place on the land was not the best use for the tract.

He also complained that he was not properly informed as negotiations to settle the suit progressed over the past several months.

Residents at the meeting were split on the settlement.

Baytree attorney Alan Kan said the agreement was satisfactory to the partnership. He said Baytree would drop its suit against the city as soon as the city`s land-use plan is amended to reflect the agreement.